Fun, Funky and Charmingly Run-Down

We enjoyed our stay at this quirky little hotel! If you are expecting luxury and U.S. standards, this isn't the place for you. But if you are looking for a tiny mom-and-pop style European hotel, give it a go! Out of all the places we stayed on our trip to Europe, this is the one that gave us the best stories to tell folks back home. Again, if you are expecting a Hilton or Marriott, this isn't the place for you. This place is fun, funky and charmingly run-down. If you have a "go with the flow" attitude and can enjoy its quirks, you'll love it!

Yes, the rooms are very pink! Our room, 248, looked like an old-style brothel. The wallpaper is dark and the rooms are tiny. I could stand between the two walls with my arms outstretched and touch both sides of the room. It made for very close quarters but we managed, even with all of our luggage. The bed was touching the wall but it was comfortable and very clean. Our room had a glass door with a patio, but it looked out onto nothing but 4 concrete walls (no window or view). Some rooms have great views but ours didn't. It didn't bother us at all because who cares about sitting in their room anyway? The room had a small flat screen t.v. but it was up in the rafters so you couldn't really see the screen (not a bother to us, but something others may care about). The "closet" was a pole that ran along the top of the room.

Although the bedroom itself was tiny, the bathroom was fairly spacious and kept very clean. A hair dryer was even provided in the bathroom. Even the towels were pink! The towels provided sometimes had a very unpleasant musty, mildewy odor; if you get a smelly towel just ask for others. I can't comment on the a/c since it wasn't turned on during our visit (in May), but we were able to keep cool by opening our patio door at night to let in fresh air. The room smelled very clean, just the towels were sometimes a bit funky.

The hotel was clean but our room showed signs of serious wear. It wasn't a big deal to us, but others might be horrified. I have posted some pictures of our room where you can see the worn carpet, torn wallpaper, etc. This place is not a "dump" by any means (it is very, very clean), but if your standards are high, you need to know what you are getting into. The staff was friendly and wonderful and the hotel had very good security. Our room was quiet and comfortable and, giving the amazing location, very resonably priced.

The location of this hotel is fabulous. It is located right on the upper part of Las Ramblas with easy walking to many shops, restaurants and bars right outside your door. The wonderful La Boqueria market was right down the street so we frequently walked over there to grab cheap wine, fresh bread and fruit and more. The hotel does provide a complimentary 24 hour buffet but we never used it (except for the soda machine; it was nice to have a glass of diet soda after a long day of sightseeing; the hotel even provided ice at the buffet, which is a rarity in Europe). I didn't pay much attention but it looked like the buffet had a small salad bar, a variety of loaf bread, and a drink machine with wine, beer, water, juice and soda. Many people were eating full meals at this buffet and I don't understand why you would do that when Barcelona's many delicious and inexpensive local restaurants and tapas bars are steps outside your door!

Overall we had a comfortable stay and we would not hesitate to book this hotel again.

CHEAP AND CHEERFULL

IF YOU WANT TO IMPRESS YOUR PARTNER WITH A SWANKY HOTEL THEN PAY THE MONEY & BOOK INTO THE GRAND MARINA ,ARTS OR THE JUAN CARLOS.IF YOU WANT A GREAT LITTLE HOTEL THATS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING, WITH FRIENDLY, HELPFULL STAFF, THEN BOOK HERE.WE A CAME IN A SMALL GROUP & HAD TWIN ROOMS THAT ONLY COST £32.00 PP A NIGHT THE ROOM WAS TIRED BUT CLEAN.EVERYTHING WORKED (ELECTRONIC SAFE MICROWAVE FRIDGE TELEPHONETV)SHOWER WAS CRAMPED BUT ALWAYS HAD HOT WATER AT A DECENT PRESSUREIT HAD A CELING FAN AND AIR CON WHICH WORKED FINE .A GREAT TOUCH WAS THE FREE BUFFET WHICH HAD TEA, COFFEE, COKE,OTHER FIZZY DRINKS AND BOTTLED WATER PLUS THE 24 BUFFET, AND BELEAVE IT OR NOT. THE BEER WAS ALSO FREE. ALL IVE READ ON VT IS PEOPLE MOANING ABOUT THIS GREAT LITTLE HOTEL.THEY WANT A CHAMPANGE HOTEL ON LEMONADE MONEY.GET REAL IF YOU DONT LIKE IT DRINK £32.00s WORTH OF BEER AND CHECK OUT !

Unique Quality: YOU CANT GET MORE CENTRAL , GREAT VIEWS , HELPFULL STAFF

Directions: COME TO CATALUNYA METRO UP THE STAIRS LOOK UP YOU CANT MISS THE BLUE BANNERS ON THERE BALCONIES

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Not a place I would recommend.

I'll start with the positive because it's the nicest things I can say about this hotel. The personnel was very friendly and always willing to help. The breakfast was decent and included with the room price, the location of the hotel was ideal. Right on La Rambla and next to Plaça de Catalunya.

Now for the not so good things. The rooms (we had two) were very run down. From some of the oldest, decrepit furniture, to ugly (and old) wallpaper, poor ventilation, tiny rooms, unfinished ceilings, and carpets I'd be scared of touching with my hands let alone my bare feet. I was as you can tell, extremely disappointed by my stay, especially when the leg of the bed broke off. It was metal!!! Very rusty metal! Perhaps it's sister hotel is a bit better as it is more expensive.

Unique Quality: The best thing it has to offer is it's location and a friendly staff.

Directions: Northern most part of La Rambla, near the Plaça de Catalunya.

I stayed in the Hotel...

I stayed in the Hotel Continental. It's location is brilliant and it's only fault is it's entrance.

Unique Quality: Some of the rooms have views down the Ramblas, mine didn't unfortunetly. However, since i only used my room for sleeping, it made no difference. The staff are extremely friendly and most are fluent in English. Breakfast comes as part of the price, which is a continental-style buffet. The rooms are comfortable and quite large with TV, hair dryer, fridge and microwave included.

Directions: This hotel is situated on The Ramblas, so you can't really get a better location (138 La Rambla). The best way to get there is by getting a taxi from the airport, otherwise it's a bit tricky to find.